


Abyssal Depths

by Abyssal_Agito



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Drowning, Gen, Underwater, Underwater Peril
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-12
Updated: 2020-10-12
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:21:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,576
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26961331
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Abyssal_Agito/pseuds/Abyssal_Agito
Summary: Attracted by an ancient legend of another abyssal ruins somewhere in the Unovan Sea that might have connection to a mysterious dragon pokemon, Iris sets out to find it and perhaps finding some clues to something about her people...A Commissioned Story.
Kudos: 1





	Abyssal Depths

South of Humilau City nestled somewhere in an oft forgotten, rarely travelled part of Route 21, Unovan Gym Leader Iris stood on the soft sands of a secluded beach eyeing a small, red bouy floating out in the middle of the cove before her while she stretches her body warming herself up in anticipation for a swim.

She recently heard rumors that somewhere out in the sea east of Unova, there was another underwater ruin not unlike the now infamous Abyssal Ruins, but instead of being a tomb for a king of old, this rumored ruin was dedicated to an ancient dragon pokemon. There were talks of the discovery but research regarding it were stalled for unknown reason which left only rumors of its existence passed by words of mouth of Unovan pokemon trainers.

Even more intriguing still, there was an ancient poem few now know of passed down in the Village of Dragons where Iris was from that describes of ‘a great sea dragon’ that once resides in the ‘sea where the sun rises’ and how ‘it guarded all dragon pokemons’ and people ‘paid respect to it to protect all dragon pokemons and those who protects them’.

Not wanting to pass up something relevant to her interest to be the best Dragon Pokemon trainer there is, Iris set out to the Unovan East Coast from Opelucid city and came to the alleged site and location of the underwater ruin which was marked according to the rumours by the single red buoy in the middle of the sea. When she was sure that no one was around soon after she arrived earlier, she openly changed out of her travelling clothes and threw them in a heap on the side along with her possessions including her pokeballs, and into a gray-blue one piece swimsuit and began her warm-up stretches for a while. While normally she’d use her pokemon for exploring such as in this case, she felt that to visit such a holy sight would require her utmost reverence, hence no pokemons first regardless whether it was a place to revere one.

Once she was done warming up, she slowly walked down to the water, where the gentle waves laps at her feet as she continues walking out into the shallows. As the water resisting her advances rose up to her chest, she put on her diving mask before she quickly got used to the cool water enough that she stopped shivering before her feet no longer felt the sandy bottom as the shore gave way to a steep drop off which elicited a slight gasp from her as she was forced to tread water.

The swim to the buoy was quick and uneventful, and she grabbed hold of the edge of the buoy to stay afloat while she prepared herself for the next part of her quest. Putting her head under the water briefly, she could see a long thin rope she could follow that runs down to the supposed bottom of the cove, which was turbid and obscured much of the details near the sea bed, making a cursory discerning where the ruins could be from the surface difficult.

Not one to be deterred right away by mere turbid waters, Iris calmed herself, and took a few quick breaths before jackknifing down into the depths below. Unfortunately for her, a pair of green eyes saw her legs disappear into the water…

Iris swam down slowly, pulling at the rope as she descended whilst holding her breath. Her thick, long hair billowed in a trail behind her. The deeper she went, she could slowly start making out the details of what looks like a large formation of rocks at the bottom through the haze of green and blue which spurred her onwards. With every pang of longing for air in her lungs, she slowly exhales some of her air to ease it. But at the same time, she slowly realizes that by the time she reaches the bottom, she would only have a few seconds to carefully observe and explore her surroundings before heading up again for air.

 _It should be fine for just a bit,_ she thought to herself.

She didn’t have to reach the end of the rope to be able to see the bottom clearly now, and she let go of it once she surmised she was at an adequate depth to be able to see around her however limited it may be by turbid water. Fortunately for her, she didn’t have to go far.

Not a few meters away from the anchor that the rope and the buoy above was tethered too, Iris can see several gray stone arches rising up from the sea bed nearby. Though some had long collapsed into rubble from the elements leaving mostly pillars instead, the stone arches were lined up in such a way that they quite obviously led to something, which could be the looming silhouette of something beyond the arches.

Iris swallowed once, before swimming towards the closest arch and placing a hand on it. She found much to her surprise how smooth the material was, and devoid of any attempts by sea creatures to make a home on them. Not content with just the arches, and despite her chest warning her that she should breathe soon, she swam onwards following the path set under them, intent on getting a closer look at what they were guarding before heading up. 

And what a thing it was.

Iris found herself face to face with the head of a creature she had never seen before carved out of the same stone as the arches: long and snake-like shaped, covered with curved horns on its head pointing down and forward, two flared nostrils, small round spiral patterned eyes and a closed jaw. Never in her life had she seen such a pokemon, assuming that it was one. Though clearly artificial, Iris was amazed by how vividly detailed it looks as if it was alive, a stone sentinel of the sea. Mesmerized by the statue’s majesty, she swam closer, hoping to get a closer look at it and maybe a touch to complete her underwater exploration. As she evenly eyed the round, gray spiral-patterned eyes, it rolled down to gaze at her.

_Mmph!_

Immediately, the water around Iris grew icy cold, causing her to uncontrollably shiver as she crossed her arms across her chest in a futile attempt to keep warm. It took all her discipline not to involuntarily gasp. She quickly turned around to swim up, feeling she had outstayed her welcome. But to her horror, a sudden strong current formed and flowed pushing her down.

Iris’ heart thumped hard in her chest as she fought hard against her rising panic. Yet, the sudden underwater current was , wrapping around her and turning her over and over in its grasp. She kicked her legs harder, trying to claw her way out of the invisible hands of the current, only for her legs to scrape the silt of the seabed...

Iris was scared, more so as her chest heaved over and over, weakening and slowing her effort down. She was far too deep, and regretted coming down here by herself. Any moment she won’t be able to ignore her body’s desperate demand for air, and she would soon drown without anyone ever knowing her whereabouts since she set out in secret.

The last thought scared her to no end, giving her one last spurt of strength to try and swim against the unyielding current before it’s too late. In her haste and oxygen deprived haze, she didn’t see nor notice a figure swimming down to her and reached out to her outstretched hand and grabbed it.

\--- 

Kanto Gym Leader Misty had come a long way from her home region taking a much needed break from her Gym duties by following her sisters’ steps in travelling around the world by herself, something she hadn’t done in a long time, not since she travelled with her two close friends wherever they are now.

She eventually found herself in Unova for the first time, and as she was travelling alongside the west coast to head north to a renown seaside city, she unexpectedly saw a girl no younger than her swimming in the sea by herself in a quiet, secluded cove. Once upon a time, Misty would have paid no mind to such a sight believing it’s not her place to intrude on other people’s privacy. But her previous travels combined with her current solo one made her feel more empathetic to others who might just need help such as this.

Perhaps it was the way the wind was blowing with ill forebode, or the waves looked a little unnatural for her trained eyes, but she felt right away somehow the lone girl is due for trouble, and maybe double of that.

She clambered down the hill to the beach, ready to call out to the girl to come back to shore but too late, as the girl disappeared beneath the waves that suddenly swelled as if swallowing her whole. Not wanting to waste time waiting, Misty dropped her backpack and immediately took off her clothes to reveal the red bikini that she wore under it for when she felt like taking a swim wherever she could, and ran down the shore, unknowingly running over the other girl’s footprints that led out to the sea.

Even as a Water Pokemon Master, the slightly rough sea was still a challenge for her, and she swam and reached the buoy after what felt like an eternity. Gasping and struggling to hold on to the buoy, she almost reluctantly hyperventilated to get enough breath in her lungs despite being constantly slapped by waves that threatened to swallow her up before diving down into a veritable calm of green.

Down she went, kicking her legs as fast as she could following the rope down to the bottom. It didn’t take her long either to see the formation of rocks that lined the seabed below, and following the direction of where it starts to where it ends, she saw in an instant a small struggling form down near the sea bed. She hurried her strokes, but somehow she felt the water was pushing her down to hurry her as well as if aiding her. 

She reached out to an outstretched hand just in time once she was close.

\--- 

The touch of another person’s hand in hers briefly stirred Iris up from her daze, allowing herself to finally focus and look up and see the hand and the person it belongs to. Though she doesn’t recognize the red haired girl that showed up by her side, the presence of another soul down here where she least expected it at least put a brief ease on her predicament. Even better, her arrival also coincided with the phantom currents weakening their grip on her.

The other girl signaled to her to swim on up slowly together, and she led the way by kicking off first and pulling Iris along as well just as the currents were starting to slow down. Together they swam hand in hand, but Iris was nearing her limit fast evident by the rapid kicks of her legs slowing down considerably as panic slowly sets in, which slows Misty down as well as she struggles to exert more to compensate for Iris’ losing focus.

_Grpl!_

A strong convulsion struck Iris hard that she uncontrollably coughed up some of her air which escaped from her lips without care. Misty heard the cough and felt the hand shaking in hers before it slipped out of her grasp, and she turned around to see the other girl stopped swimming altogether, clamping her mouth shut with both her hands while her eyes narrowed with fear of what she can no longer fight.

Iris’ chest was convulsing hard and fast, and she groaned into her hands while resisting the need to breathe knowing taking one now would be her last. She knows she should keep swimming up, but she needs to breathe…

_Snrk! Grobl!_

Iris’ eyes then went wide when her body couldn’t resist the temptation any longer. Her lungs empty and strained, her nose sniffed and unintentionally snorted in water into her nostrils, stinging her sinus, and she instinctively pulled her hands away from her mouth to gasp for air to relieve the stinging sensation, only to suck in water into her throats instead. 

Gone were her earlier torpor as her hands shot up to claw her way up the water to the surface while she continued to choke and gurgle on water she could no longer stop from inhaling which only hampered her efforts. The pain of having water seemingly invading all her orifices was too much that her back arched backwards while clutching and squeezing her throat in a misguided attempt to stop herself from sucking in more water into her lungs while slowly losing the sensation of her own senses and body.

Misty was caught by surprise and quite visibly terrified at the sight of the girl drowning before her, and she tried to reach out to her while ignoring her own bodily needs. Instead, Iris lashes out at her in a blind attempt to find leverage, leverage to escape her watery hell. Misty tried to defend herself, but Iris’ hands slaps and punches her in the face.

_Hmmphgrblol!!_

An unexpected kick into her stomach caught her by surprise, causing her to cough out air before her body reflexively inhaled to replace the stale air she had inadvertently exhaled, and Misty realized to her horror too late that Iris is no longer alone in drowning.

_Gurk! Gluh! Grobl!_

Misty clutches her hurt stomach, but invariably reaches up to her chest as she coughed and gurgled on water she can’t resist inhaling, unable to escape. Beside her, Iris had finally calmed down, her eyes rolled back and her expression blank, with her mouth partially open no longer moving. It scared Misty in her own drowning throes as she claws for something with her free hand, anything to alleviate their predicament, but found nothing instead.

_Urk..._

Soon, her movements too slowed as her body realized the futility of continuing to breath nothing but water, and Misty let off one finally groan from the depths of her soul as she succumbs to the sweet embrace of nothingness. Her eyes flickered once, and saw nothing more.

The currents would return once more to envelop the two girls, pulling them down once towards the ruins below that they had trespassed earlier-

\---

-and Iris would wake up with a gasp as a jolt of something ran through her causing her to sit up from her lying down position on the sandy beach before the sea. Beside her, an unconscious Misty was also lying on her back, with the gentle rise and fall of her chest the only indication that she was alive. Iris wanted to reach out to her, to wake the other girl up, but thought against it for the time being. For now, she only wanted to wonder and question what just happened, as she remembered hazily that they were drowning deep in the sea and the ruins…

Whatever was the case, she was glad that she was alive to maybe tell a tale to others if they would believe her somehow.


End file.
